The Reds came within two points of winning their first ever Premier League title last season, with Brendan Rodgers leading his side with a brand of fast, attacking football rarely seen in the top flight.

Having progressed to the summit of the table with a run of incredible results, late season failure to Chelsea and Crystal Palace saw the Merseyside club throw away a title that they deserved, and, having lost leading scorer Luis Suarez to Barcelona over the summer, they have struggled to replicate their form, and, following a 1-0 loss at Newcastle on Saturday, the English giants sit 12 points off Premier League leaders Chelsea - who they finished above in the last campaign.

Following their impressive successes last season, many were suggesting that the Reds would once again put in a real challenge for the domestic title, but club legend John Toshack - who scored 96 goals in 246 games for Liverpool in the 1970’s - believes that the club are struggling with their late season collapse, which has cast a dark cloud over Anfield this term.

Quoted by the Standard, the former Welsh international said: “I still think they’re feeling the effects of that a little bit.

“They went so close after being so long without winning that championship.

“I still think there’s a bit of a hangover there, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.”

Following Tuesday evening’s 1-0 loss at Real Madrid, Liverpool are also fearing their Champions League progression, with the knock-out stages looking an unlikely prospect at this stage of the season. With European success off the cards, Rodgers will be looking to kickstart the Reds Premier League season this weekend by claiming a victory and moving to within nine points of Chelsea - with Anfield playing host to the league leaders on Saturday.

Billy Hawkins

Billy is a freelance writer who contributes to various sites concerning football. Known to possess an obsession with statistics, Eastern European club sides, and Victorian football, he focuses upon the untapped potential of the Football League in the belief it is more enjoyable than the Premier League.